High Falls, Alabama

Photo by me, July 2016.

As with most places in Alabama, High Falls waterfall is in the middle of nowhere in the northern part of the state a few miles east of the Tennessee River. Once you turn off the main road you find yourself driving between large fields, chicken farms and down narrow little roads that are more like lanes but at least they are paved. This waterfall is off the beaten path even by Alabama standards and is not all that well known outside of locals but it is worth a visit.

Photo by me, July 2016.

A walk down a path from the parking lot, through a picnic area and you emerge through the tree canopy to find the waterfall from an overlook. Unfortunately, when I came it was the driest time in summer and the water flow was low. So what is probably a beautiful waterfall in more wet weather was little more than a small trickle cascading thirty-five feet over the rocks into a pool below. It was so dry that the view was more of a rocky cliff than a waterfall. I recommend coming after a heavy rain or in the winter if you want to see more water gushing over the cliff.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Still the lack of water did not deter people from enjoying the rocks to jump down into the pool of water below. With the lack of raging water this was actually a great place to go swimming on a hot summer's day.

Photo by me, July 2016.

As you can see the water here in Town Creek is very shallow as it approaches the waterfall and you can easily walk out to the edge without getting swept away when the water is low.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

The calm waters were reflecting the sky well on a hot July day.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

To have a better view of the landscape there is a pedestrian bridge above the waterfall.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Prior to the current bridge there had been a covered bridge that spanned the shallow creek. As with some many things, especially covered bridges, the bridge was lost to time and burned in the 1950s.

Photo by me, July 2016.

The only remaining portions of the covered bridge are the original stone support pillars from the early 1920s.

For more information and directions to this out of the way place you can go here.

Euharlee Covered Bridge

Photo by me, July 2017.

July of last year I was loafing around Northwest Georgia and stopped in the town of Euharlee in Bartow County to see the Euharlee Covered Bridge. It had been a long time, probably the early 1990s, since I was in this part of Bartow County and I was surprised by the growth. It seems the natural beauty that I have long admired about this county is slowly being plowed and paved over by sprawl fanning out from Atlanta. People have long said that it was eventual that the area between Chattanooga and Atlanta was to become one long morass of sprawl and I believe it. Enjoy the natural beauty of these areas while you can before it becomes subdivisions and shopping centers.

Photo by me, July 2017.

A brief history of the area notes that Euharlee became an incorporated town in 1870, but European settlers were in the area for at least four decades prior and Native American Indians for a much longer period. Bartow County was created in 1832 and originally named Cass County. It would not receive its current name until 1861 when the namesake General Lewis Cass opted to support the Union.

Earlier bridges over Euharlee Creek had first occupied the spot of today's covered bridge. The last one, before the covered bridge was erected, collapsed in 1871 killing two men on a wagon.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

The covered bridge was constructed in 1886 and has a length of 138 feet. The bridge was in use until the late 1970s, but cars now use a nearby concrete bridge.

Though I grew up in neighboring Paulding County, we spent significant time in Bartow County. We camped at Lake Allatoona and took Sunday car drives in the area in the 1970s. Given my age at the time I do not specifically remember crossing the covered bridge, but I suppose it is possible.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

The bridge is of the town-lattice design which is the common type of covered bridge found in Georgia. The timber used to construct the bridge is pine.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

The supports underneath the bridge are made of stone.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Looking up at the underside of the bridge you can see the crisscross  pattern of the beams.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Walking across the bridge you can see daylight coming up through the wood treads and the creek down below.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Adjacent to the bridge are the ruins of the Lowry Grist Mill which predates the town and covered bridge. The mill was built by Nathaniel Burgess in 1834 and later sold. The eventual owner was Daniel Lowry II.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Today, all that remains of the old mill are the stone walls of the foundation.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

There are other historical buildings remaining in Euharlee and even an old well. 

The natural beauty that remains in this part of Bartow County is worth seeing and so is the history that has been preserved. If you are a fan of covered bridges then Euharlee is a nice one to visit.